An Australian Artist and her Poodle Muse

Watercolour Demo in Tonal Greys

Here are some pics from the watercolour demo and exercise that I taught to lasts nights Fashion Illustraton class at The Work-Shop What a lovely bunch of people, I had a great night with you all, thanks so much for coming along guys!

Above: The initial pencil drawing and a wash of greys to define the face shapes and details as well as the neck cast shadow.

Above: Now I’ve gone in and darkened the definition of the face details and added more details in a darker tone of grey.

Above: Now you can see the face is clearly defined in aromatic greys in watercolour. I’ve then used a black gouache to further define facial features and dark shadows.

Above: Now I’ve gone in and added some colour, kind of like just putting make up on a model, but this model is flat and on paper!

Above: Et voila! Finished! This method of painting in tonal greys and then adding in colour later on is a great way for beginners to tackle watercolour and portraiture. Tonal greys are easier to identify and render with shading, than going in straight with colour. I also like the look of this style of painting, it really defines the illustration and gives a nice dramatic effect with little effort.